Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-31

people are SICK ana tired OF nearing
her alluded to in this canvass. She has
varied and splendid resources and pos
sesses many rare legislative curiosities
of which the people Of every state should
be fully advised. That prohibition is
failure up there seems to be abundantly
proven by official reports which certainly
ought to have precedence over mere YER
bal declarations and letters By political
partisans who are trying to help out the
movement in Texas. II the records speak
the truth, she had over 1900 retail liquor
dealers in 1880, and last year she had
over 1000. Continuously since 1880 she
has had from 1900 to 1000 vendors of
liquor by the retail each year. But lay
aside much abused Maine and poor perse-
cuted Kansas, and compare
lowe with Texas. She has
q population OF about 100000
to Texas 100000. The facts and fig
ures l now present l take from these
books-tbe criminal statistics furnished
by Governor Sherman in his messages to
the Legislature of lows in the years 1888,
1884 and 1885, the last of which he made
early LAST year. Those from Texas l get
from the official documents Of our state,
which are strictly authentic.
IOWA, 1888.
The total criminal convictions in Iowa
for 1888, acting under prohibition; were
1871. OF these 4S8 were felonies, 629 sa-
loon keepers, and 260 other misdemean-
oTS. The total expense for prosecuting
these cases was 1861, l73.78. Total fines
assessed in the misdemesnor cases was
S27, 095 ~. Granting that these 629 sa-
loon keepers paid all the fines, their pro
rats per year each was S43 06. But &C
cording TO the United States revenue re
port Iowa had thai year 5000 retail liquor
dealers.
In 1884 the total number Of convictions
were 1892. OF these 63l were saloon
| keepers; 664 felonies; 80 "nuisances"
drug stores for selling whisky and 215
other nisdemesnors. Total expenses
paid by state 1878, 5S0.81. Total fines
collected $50, 36l.5S. II these saloons
keepers paid all the fines their pro rata
part was less than $50 each. For that
| year the United States Revenue Depart
ment reports 3989 retail liquor dealers in
| taat state.
In 1885 the total convictions In that
state were 1889, of which there were 74S
felonies, 800 saloonkeepers, 20 Htisances
| Cdrug stores, etc. and Isl other misde-
meenors. Total expense for these prose-
cutions S413,349 II. Fi1es collected
$50 728 "a or less than SCI each
if tia eatoonkeepers had it all 10
pay. That year there were 3549 retail
liquor dealers in Iowa according to the
revenue commissioner Sreport.
TEXAS.
Now, then, here arctic authentic facts
and figures s to Texes, operating under
the Democratic theofy of high license
system: In 1883 srhe total convictions
were 443l; Of these 34l6 were misdemean-
ors and l0l5 were feloniea. Expense to
the state, as l viii directly explain, S+o7,
203.7+. Receivea from liquors occupation
tax, S43l, 985.6 sc, Fines and forfeltures i'm
posed and made ins, 500, 652. In 1884
the total convictions were 1850, 2alo feI-
onies and 1868 misdemeauors. Expense
to the state for that period, S49I, O57 80
Received from the liquor occupation tax,
$3.50, 500. Fines and forfeitures imposed
and madefnal, S125, 655.
During the years 1855 and 1886 there
were ia Texas 97l9 convictions-3086
telonies and 6633 misdemesnors. The
cost to the state was 81 ,256, 769 81. Re-
ceivsd from the liquor license, Sl,024,-
500.2 Fines and forteitures rendered and
made final, $3.50, 4G3.
Now, by way Of explanation l wish to
add that the amount paid cut By the state
referred to in each of the years Just
named includes all the salaries of the
l1udges of the Supreme court, Court of
ilAppeals, commission of appeals and dis
trict courts, and all their Office furniture
i and books and stationery, porter hire,
lights, fuel ard every item of expense
paid by the state, growing out of all of
said courts, and embraces all the salaries
and fees Of district and county attorneys,
sheriffs, clerks Of all the courts and coz
stables and justices Of the
peace and witnesses and all
the salaries srd expense incident to the
Attorney Generals department. In other
words, taking the prohibition theory that
all the expense of the courts, both for
criminal and civil business, should be di-
rectly charged to the ''whiskY account"
l have carefully included every item paid
by the state to and for al the officers and
witnesses, etc, in the courts of Texas
from the Supreme court down to and in
Guiding the justices of the peace. By
this you will ind that all the judicial e1-
pense for those four years, only exceeded
the revenue from the liquor traffic by
Sll9 047 SO. Up to two years ago this
revenue each year exceeded all the court
expenses paid by the state. For the past
two years the increased growth of wit
ness aud other fees in felony cases, ant
the decrease of the liquor traffic during
last year, make the court expenses great.
er than the occupation revenue from thai
source.
The fines and forfeitures just referred
to are not given as credits t.
the state, but properly belong to the
counties wherein they were rendered
They are only referred to by way OF com
psrison with Iowa. The convictions re.
ferred to do not include those of justices
recorders or mayors courts, and ar,
only those appearing of record in the
district and county courts Throughout
the state.
The proposition that ell the expense t
the state from the criminal source il
more than paid each year by the revenue
from the liquor traffic can not be success
fully or tru,hfully denied, unless thu
Comptroller's books are woetully inaccu-
rate. In my letter on this subject in
CURED the criticisms and even the mos
savage abuse Of some advocates of pro
hibitlon for limiting my figures to tn,
criminal expense alone; and for no
) reckoning the expense to tn,
various counties which criminal
and cause cost them. Somt
: went so far as to show the loss of prop
erty, the cost Of jails, the amount paid
out to lawyers, the expense of citizen.
attending court as Jurors, witnesses
etc, and have even charged up the fnei
and forteitures against my figures. l
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